A large Tuesday-night fire in Duncan has destroyed one business and damaged others.
Police officers conducting foot patrols in the area of Boys Road noticed a plume of black smoke about 6 p.m. They moved closer and found a fully involved fire in a building in an industrial area.
Police ensured everyone got out of the building, which contains several businesses. The nearby Duncan RV Park was evacuated.
The Duncan Fire Department was able to keep the fire from spreading to other businesses.
Firefighters had the blaze under control by about 8 p.m., and residents of the RV park were allowed to return to their homes. RV park manager Yvonne Mader said 60 or 70 people had to leave the facility’s 38 sites and congregated in a parking lot across the road.
“The police were there, the firefighters — they were just wonderful,” she said. “They got us all out and everything went fine. We all felt very safe.”
Mader said the fire was quite a sight. “It went sky high. It was terrible.”
No one was injured and everyone linked to the businesses was accounted for.
One business was destroyed, while others in the area were affected by smoke and water.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Duncan Fire Chief Mike McKinlay said it did not appear to be suspicious in nature.
The fire was in an area used by an industrial company for storage and other activity, he said. Anyone with video of the fire or information about it is asked to call the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
